The 16th ASEAN and Japan High Level Officials Meeting on Caring Societies -Promoting Inclusive Society through Empowering Children and Youth and Alleviating Poverty- Overall Summary Date: 5 - 7 December 2018 Venue: Shin Yokohama Prince Hotel, Yokohama, Japan The 16th ASEAN and Japan High Level Officials Meeting on Caring Societies under the theme of “Promoting Inclusive Society through Empowering Children and Youth and Alleviating Poverty” was held from 5 December to 7 December 2018, in Yokohama, Japan, hosted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Government of Japan (MHLW). The meeting focused on collaboration between health care and social welfare services for the wellbeing of mothers and children. At the meeting, we shared Japan’s past and recent experiences and their policy implications, and expected participants to actively contribute to policy discussions based on their own expertise and experiences. Group photo of the 16th ASEAN and Japan High Level Officials Meeting on Caring Societies 1. Background of the meeting The ASEAN and Japan High Level Officials Meeting on Caring Societies has been organized by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan since 2003. The purpose of the meeting is to enhance human resource development in health and social welfare areas, and to strengthen the Japan-ASEAN cooperative relationship. This Meeting has been recognized as a vital platform to support the ASEAN Plus Three (Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea) Health Ministers’ Meetings as well as the ASEAN Plus Three Ministerial Meetings on Social Welfare and Development. Japan reports the outcome of the Meeting to the ASEAN Plus Three Ministers’ Meetings. Since 2011, MHLW has invited officials in charge of employment policies in addition to health and social welfare experts, with a view to promoting cooperation in these three related fields. 2. Date and Venue 5 - 7 December 2018, Shin Yokohama Prince Hotel, Yokohama, Japan 3. Organizer Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Government of Japan (Logistics: TOBU TOP TOURS CO., LTD.) 4. Collaborators The ASEAN Secretariat World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Japan Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama City 5. Participants (1) ASEAN countries: health sector, welfare sector, labour sector: Kingdom of Cambodia, Republic of Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Singapore, Kingdom of Thailand, Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2) Observer countries: People’s Republic of China (3) Collaborators: - The ASEAN Secretariat - World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) - International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Japan - Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) - Kanagawa Prefecture - Yokohama City (4) Keynote speaker and expert: Dr. Aya Abe, Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University (5) General audiences: Open to media and general audience Day 1: Wednesday, 5 December 2018 Opening Remarks Dr. Yasuyuki Sahara, Councillor, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare opened the meeting by welcoming and thanking the various participants for their support. He continued to introduce and explain the background of the 16th ASEAN and Japan High Level Officials Meeting on Caring Societies. The meeting was borne from the “Initiative for a Caring World” which was proposed by Japan at the G7 Summit in 1996. The initiative is based on sharing knowledge and experience in order to create better societies and pass them on to future generations. The ASEAN and Japan High Level Officials Meeting on Caring Societies has been engaged in activities focused on collaboration between welfare, health, and labor services. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Promoting Inclusive Society through Empowering Children and Youth and Alleviating Poverty.” The ASEAN region is experiencing rapidly ageing societies, so realizing a society where children and youths can grow and succeed is an important issue. Dr. Sahara noted the current situation in Japan regarding child and youth poverty, including initiatives being implemented. There is a chain of poverty phenomenon in Japan where children whose parents received welfare also become beneficiaries of welfare when they become adults. Preventing this chain of poverty is an issue which must be tackled. Dr. Sahara explained that in order to realize a society where all children can have opportunities and succeed, it is vital not only to support children who are in poverty but also empower children and youths. In Japan, efforts are ongoing to strengthen consideration and measures towards families and children who have difficulties in child rearing and childcare. Dr. Sahara concluded his talk by expressing his hopes that this meeting will provide opportunities to further improve relationships through mutual sharing of knowledge and experiences. Ms. Yuri Arakida, Deputy Mayor of Yokohama City spoke next. She started by mentioning that, at a glance, it appears that Japan has no poverty. However, poverty exists invisibly in Japan. Comparatively, there is a high level of children living below the poverty level. Ms. Arakida described the poverty situation in Yokohama by highlighting that children have suffered from not being able to buy food and school supplies, which has resulted in isolating children from society. Yokohama has made efforts to combat child poverty in the form of education-related initiatives which provide school materials, lunch money, sports programs, and teachers dedicated to supporting children with learning disabilities or physical disabilities. In addition, Ms. Arakida explained that in order to encourage students with disabilities to learn, counselors have been employed to provide support for them. In high school, there are volunteer programs for university students to mentor high school students with disabilities. Moreover, there are life skill programs which teach youths how to properly manage daily tasks. To conclude her presentation, Ms. Arakida highlighted Yokohama’s youth support programs, such as specialized counseling and employment training, the attractive points of Yokohama, and wishing a successful meeting this year. Mr. H.E. Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary-General, ASEAN Socio-Culture Community (ASCC), ASEAN Secretariat explained that the ASEAN and Japan High Level Officials Meetings have provided a useful platform to exchange ideas and experiences. He noted the urgency and importance of improving the quality of living for children in poverty. In Asia, there is a large amount of children in poverty, and the unemployment rate is increasing. In addition, the unemployment rate could continue to increase due to another industrial revolution. Therefore, supporting youths is vital for a sustainable future. Mr. Kung Phoak added that various programs have been set up to support a variety of issues, such as poverty, youths, social protection of workers, and social protection of children who are victims of trafficking and online sexual exploitation. The Objectives of the Meeting Mr. Toru Kajiwara, Director of the Office of International Cooperation, International Affairs Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare explained the purpose and summary of this meeting which were also touched upon in the opening remarks. He also explained what the participants can expect over the next three days. Mr. Kajiwara recapped the theme of the panel sessions; the first panel session will cover establishing social protection for preventing poverty in which various policies and mechanisms will be looked at to prevent poverty; the second panel session will look at collaboration in health/welfare services for children/youths needing support, and capacity development for human resources in local communities; the third panel session will focus on the support for economic independence, including employment of parents with youths/children; the final panel session will discuss the roles of the national government, local government, community, and relevant organizations towards eradicating poverty. Keynote Speech The Poverty Among Japanese Children and Youths: Issues and Policies Dr. Aya Abe, Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University began the keynote speech by mentioning that many people, including Japanese, do not think there is poverty in Japan because it is hard to see. After Japan’s rapid economic recovery following World War 2, the Japanese society did not believe that there was poverty in japan. As a result, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stopped measuring the number of households with low living standards in 1965. There was a notion that Japan achieved an egalitarian society. The 1990s provided the first visible signs of poverty in Japan by the emergence of homeless people. The government was in denial that poverty was a social issue, claiming that homelessness was caused by laziness, alcoholism, or personal preferences. However, after the Lehman Shock, the Japanese society discovered poverty as a social issue. In 2009, the government officially announced the poverty rate, which was significant because the government officially recognized it for the first time. The government then started to monitor the poverty rate and set a definition of poverty as 50% of the national median. The people in poverty were having difficulties